We pack our lunches because, it's cost effective and also, I know what they are eating. I remind them that what isn't consumed at lunch should be brought home (and eaten as the snack for the afternoon). Food is not wasted. But lately I've had a difficulty with creativity in their lunchboxes. The kids have no access to a microwave so the variety of hot/thermos items is very limited... so I thought.

Since the school year began, my kids have been begging me to provide sushi in their lunches. Sushi? Really guys, how shi-shi for you to ask. But a coworker brought in some really cool sticky-rice balls for lunch one day and I thought, my kids would love that. She let me know how easy it was. So I decided to grab up some sticky rice, but while in the market the kids asked for seaweed chips for snack and I said to myself, I'm making sushi. How hard could a California roll be? I mean, we've eaten hundreds of them at restaurants. I know what's in them. May as well go for it! I didn't buy the bamboo mat, but I did buy sushi rice and I rolled it like a burrito or a roti. All in all the kids were pleased. So was I. It tasted light, fresh... amazing. Next time I'll add rice vinegar, but to make it briny I suggest mixing a bit of soy sauce in the rice before applying to the nori sheets.